


The Flag Bearer

by Palefire73



Series: Loki Origins [32]
Category: Frigga - Fandom, Loki - Fandom, Thor - Fandom, Tyr - Fandom, odin - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Learning Responsibility, Lessons learned in life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 21:34:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13490229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palefire73/pseuds/Palefire73
Summary: Loki has joined the Ninth Cadets and will be with them for a long time as he learns many elements of what makes a great warrior. However, after one particularly bad day, he announces he wants to leave. Odin and Frigga work together to show him what his position in life truly means.





	The Flag Bearer

**Author's Note:**

> So this marks my first million words as a publisher of free works for Loki admirers. I'm all about a blend of the lore and the modern interpretations. Although I acknowledge the Eddas as the primary and, therefore, legitimate source for the Norse Religion and Norse Gods as they were first believed in, I really do like elements of the modern tales and that is why I weave strands of each into my head noodles. I genuinely enjoy what I do- and I hope these tales, along with my others, provide those of you kind enough to read them with a reasonable slice of enjoyment. Thanks so much for reading - you're why I'm here!
> 
> Palefire73  
> x

In the gleaming realm of Asgard, it was not considered a privilege to be trained in the skills required of a warrior such as swordsmanship, horse riding and survival; rather, it was expected. Admittedly, the higher one’s social status, the better the quality of training and equipment, but there were few Asgardians who had never lifted at least a wooden training sword. The introduction to learning some of these abilities was through the general physical education system in place in all the schools around Asgard, and some of the others were taught through special classes or through dedicated clubs and organisations which had been set up for particular skills.

 

Those children who were lucky enough to be taught at the Palace were expected to join the Warrior Cadets once they turned four and the Royal children were no exception. All the cadets were sworn in through a special ceremony and were expected to wear their badge of membership with pride when they attended the various lessons, workshops and field exercises. Loki had gone through this swearing in ceremony a couple of weeks after he had turned four, along with three other children who were of a very similar age to him, and all of their parents and other family members and friends had looked on with pride as they had recited their oath of allegiance to Asgard before being presented with their badges. Each of them had then gone to stand solemnly in front of Odin All-Father and had saluted him in the grown up fashion of bringing their arm across their chest. To Loki’s great joy, as he had saluted his father he had been treated to a wink of acknowledgement just before they had all filed off the stage to go to attend the after-party. Odin, Frigga, Tyr and Thor had all been incredibly proud of the little Prince and it is not entirely unfair to say that Loki had basked in the attention that had been lavished upon him.

 

The crueller of those amongst the court may have assumed that Loki would get preferential treatment in the Cadets, but they would have been sorely mistaken; the history of all the Royals back through history would have clearly shown that they were oft-times treated in a harsher fashion compared to their peers. Yet Asgard _was_ a warrior nation and the Royals _were_ expected to grow up to lead as well as defend her, and perhaps this was not entirely unfair: no enemy nation would treat them kindly and they would be the primary targets after all, so was it not better to have them expect to be picked upon?

 

The four year old Loki did not like it, of course and, after one particular day when he had been left the dregs of the cooking pot in a survival exercise where the cadets had been expected to forage for and make their own lunch out in a scrubby field, he had come home in a bit of a sulk. His nails were dirty and chipped because he had made a lot of effort to dig up wild field potatoes first with a stick and then his bare hands so that he could contribute to the communal pot of food. His blue trousers were dirty and wet from kneeling at the muddy edge of a stream in order to lean out to dangle a gourd into the cleaner water so that there was something to cook the potatoes in and his hair was singed because he had leaned too close to the infant embers of the kindling being used to light the fire over which the food would be cooked. As a consequence, he’d had to be taken back down to the stream to get a wet cloth to hold to the skin of his forehead near the singed hair. This had meant he had ended up at the back of the line of cadets waiting for their portion of mashed up potato and herbs and had been left with the scrapings from the bottom of the pot because the older cadet dishing it out had overestimated how much he could give to each of the others to eat. They had faced a three mile hike back to the Palace and Loki had arrived in the nursery looking a complete shambles and with a rather empty tummy.

 

“I am _never_ going to Cadets again!” He had announced in a comically angry four year-old squeak, yanking his badge from his tunic and throwing it to the floor before stomping into the bathroom. Fulla picked up the golden badge, which had the crest of Asgard on the front, along with the motto “ _Hvis du vil ha fred – Forbered deg på krig”*_. She glanced over to the bathroom door, from which the sound of the shower was now coming, and sighed; obviously the little Prince had not had a good experience on the field trip today.

 

“Hello Fulla, how are you?” Queen Frigga breezed into the nursery, her graceful blue gown flowing out behind her as she came over to Fulla and hugged her warmly. She crossed over to the eating area of the nursery and flopped into one of the chairs, “What a day!” she laughed, “It has been so busy at court that I am glad Loki has been out with the Cadets all day. The boys are all dining with us tonight, but Chef knows, do not worry. Odin is coming too, so it will be a nice family evening.” She poured a glass of water from a flagon and sipped at it, suddenly looking over to the door which led into the bathroom. “Is Loki home?” She asked, as Fulla joined her at the table and placed the Cadet badge on the table in front of her.

“Yes, my Queen, but he is not a happy child…”

“Whatever is the matter?” Asked Frigga, picking up the badge and brushing some dirt from it.

“I fear the field trip was not something he enjoyed. He was in an awful mood when Agatha brought him home from the schoolrooms. He threw that badge to the floor and went straight for a shower. No talkative revelation of his day, no happy smile, no hug…”

 

Frigga looked at her with concern; it was so unlike Loki to keep quiet about anything he had experienced. He had been a fairly talkative child ever since he had learned how to use his tongue and it was a bit of a standing joke that one could be in for a long story if the little boy had just had a busy time doing something new. The sound of the shower ceased and she placed the badge on the dining table.

 

“I will go to him.” She said and Fulla nodded.

“He needs you, though he will likely not admit it.”

 

Frigga peeped around the door of the bathroom to find Loki sitting on a bedding box. He was wrapped up in a large fluffy towel, but as she approached him, she could see he was hunched over and his shoulders were moving with the unmistakable signs of crying. Saying nothing, she sat beside him on the large box and wrapped an arm around him, whereupon he leaned into her, his messy wet hair making a damp patch on her gown. She didn’t mind; very carefully, she dispersed the water with her Seidr and rubbed Loki’s arm reassuringly as she waited for his tears to come to a natural end.

 

“I did not like it Móðir.” His voice was low and she could tell that he seemed to be worried about making this confession to her, “They were terribly unfair to me even though I worked so hard.” His initial anger at the sense of unfairness he had built up during the day had now dissipated, leaving only dejection and she could feel it flowing through him like a wave of negative energy. Craning her neck a little, she could see him staring at the marble floor of the bathroom and she brought her free hand round to let loose a shimmering golden butterfly, which flitted a short distance through the air before landing on his hand, which he had unconsciously held out to receive it. As the little creature sat on his fingertip, the gold began to be infused with strands of his own blue Seidr, which mixed with the gold of Frigga’s to produce an emerald green peppered with golden sparkles. Loki moved in Frigga’s arms and he looked up at her with red-rimmed blue eyes, just managing a smile before he raised his hand to watch the butterfly take flight and zigzag across the room only to disappear in a shower of glittering dust.

 

“Tell me Loki…”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“I truly think he needs to have the other side of his future shown to him too. It will encourage him enormously and perhaps help him to understand why he gets treated the way he does at Cadets. Tyr and Thor both told him tales of the times they felt they were being bullied or left short-changed, but instead of making him feel as if he was not the only one, they only made him realise there will be more in store for him.” Frigga handed a cup of Midgardian hot chocolate to Odin and sat beside him on the luxurious sofa. The glowing red embers of the fire enriched the tones of her hair as he looked at her and he was reminded for about the fifth time today just why he loved her so much. Frigga was not only a wise and intelligent woman; she was – in his eyes as well as many others’ – beautiful beyond measure too. “We both know he must go through all the same experiences as your boys in order to keep up the appearance of him being of your line and I do not want to try to gain him any sort of lighter treatment, it is simply that I feel… I _know_ he needs support in this.”

“You risk babying the boy.” Odin’s tone was perhaps a little harsher than he had intended, but he felt he had a point; what use was there in raising Loki as an Asgardian Prince in a weaker fashion than the others? They may as well expose him for what he was now and send him back to Jotúnnheimr to die.

“Odin I think that is a very narrow view.”

“Why do you say that? Do you not think it is rather strange that he much prefers the time he spends with you than that which he spends with us both as a family or even just with me? Do not think I am a hard and grizzled old man who has no capacity to understand the emotions of others, Frigga! Loki is fond of me but he _adores_ you! He is not…”  
“He _should_ adore his mother!” Exclaimed Frigga, “ _All_ sons adore their mothers. It is _respect_ they garner for their fathers. And what of it if Loki prefers my company?” she gave Odin a serious look, “We _share_ something… it is deep within him, but it is there and…”

“I do not think you should encourage that side of him.” Odin’s tone really was harsh now.

“Oh? And you _never_ use yours? Can you sit there, Odin Borson, and _swear_ to me that you never, ever wield your Seidr?”

“Of course I do! But only when I see fit. I do not flounce it and waste it on cheap tricks.” Odin slurped his hot chocolate in a rather self-righteous fashion.

“Look… We will never agree on this point Odin. You think it should be suppressed and I think that to do so will make it dangerous. Yet, can we not sort out something for Loki that will remind him that his position will give him certain privileges which will balance the necessary training in how to withstand bad treatment? Please?”

Odin sighed and drained his cup as he thought about what Frigga had said. As ever, even though he did not necessarily agree with her completely, what she had to say did make sense and he found himself coming around to her way of thinking.

“Very well. The field exercise he was so ‘badly treated’ in? The tutors in field craft and survival told me that he threw himself into it wholeheartedly without even a moment’s thought about his position in the Palace. He even managed to control his feelings when he was served the pitiful amount of food left in the pot. It seems it was only when he got back into the private wing of the Palace that he lost his temper. Perhaps we are raising him better than we – I – give him credit for.”

 

They both stood and Odin took hold of Frigga’s hands, rubbing them gently.

“It is Woden’s Day tomorrow and sometimes it is marked with a procession… It is only seven of the evening. I will go to see a few people now and have one organised and I will make provision for Loki to do something that will make him feel better.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Special occasions with short notice can often be the best. After Odin had left Frigga, he had gone to several people in the Palace and had pulled in both his rank and some small favours he was owed. Woden’s Day was not always celebrated in a high fashion even though it was acknowledged by certain traditions, but this week it would be and the vast majority of people it would affect the most were notified so that they could prepare. So it was that garlands were strung up in the main streets and squares of the city before bedtime, bakers prepared dough for special breads to prove overnight, more meat was mixed up with fresh herbs and spices to marinade than might have been and word was sent to bring more mead and cider down from the surrounding farms than usual.

 

All of the cadets were woken by their parents and carers an hour earlier than usual the following morning and they were treated to nice warm baths and hair cuts, as well as a communal breakfast in the canteen of the barracks. Shortly after the last slice of hot buttered toast had been consumed, they were ushered into changing rooms to be helped out of their casual clothes and into their formal Cadet uniforms, whereupon they were informed of the procession. Black breeches were pulled on, crisp white shirts were tucked in, black leather belts fastened and blue jackets put on before their golden buttons were done up. Blue dress hats brimmed with gold were placed firmly on their heads and their dress swords affixed to their belts. Black polished knee high boots completed the look, along with white gloves. Last of all, their cadet badges were pinned to the breast pocket of their jackets and they were about ready to go.

 

However, Loki felt left out yet again. He had a rather rough-looking clumsy belt to wear, which had what looked like a cup holder at the front. He did not feel as neat and tidy as the other cadets and he was finding it difficult to not say something in protest. Fulla was acting as if there was nothing different about his clothing and his four year old mind was confused as to whether this was another test or not. He stiffened his lip and resolved to say nothing until he saw his mother later on. The kind words she had shared with him after the horrible field exercise had been filled with advice on decorum and ways to feel better despite bad conditions, and the little boy was now trying with all his might to put her advice into practise. He stood still and stared off into the distance as Fulla fussed about him, making sure he looked every inch a Prince of Asgard and he imagined he was a King of a far-off Paradise, waiting to go to greet his people.

 

“…and you will be riding Tân Golau today, so here is your dress riding hat… Loki? Loki, are you listening to me?”

 

Loki blinked as the blue velvet riding hat – which was trimmed in gold to match the dress hats of the other Cadets – was put into his hands.

 

“Yes Fulla…” he said absent-mindedly as his mood lifted somewhat. He had not realised he would be mounted for the procession and the thought of being able to ride Tân in public cheered him up.

 

“… because you are the Prince and you are expected… Loki! Will you please concentrate?” Fulla’s voice had an element of exasperation and the little boy looked at her apologetically. She smiled, “Did you hear what I told you?”

“Not all of it…”

“Well, there is no more time. You must wear this…” Fulla lowered a funny set of leather straps over his head and fastened a few buckles behind his back. Then she brought a strap and threaded it through a loop on the funny cup holder on his belt before securing it. She pulled quite hard to check it was holding and then stood back and nodded. “That should be fine. Come along then, we need to get you to Tân while the others go and form up for the procession. You will be leading them of course, as their troop leader.”

 

Loki walked after Fulla in a bit of a daze as he wriggled his shoulders to get used to the feel of the leather straps buckled around him. His mind was processing all of what was happening, but he was still not completely sure what was going on and he was still wondering as his groom led him out on Tân Golau’s back and brought him to a halt in front of the troop of Cadets, who were waiting for him behind the barracks, standing to attention in a tightly formed square. The groom positioned Loki and his pony in a leading position and then bowed his head as the King and Queen arrived, along with a Standard bearer. Everyone was silent as Odin walked up to Loki and saluted him in the Asgardian fashion. Loki returned it and then spotted Tyr and Thor next to their mother; it took every ounce of decorum to not simply grin and wave madly at them, but he could see their happiness in their faces.

 

“Loki,” Announced Odin suddenly, making him jump a bit. “Son of Odin, Prince of Asgard and Commander of the Ninth Cadet Troop of Asgard.” He turned to the Standard bearer as Loki wondered at his new title; he had not heard of this ‘Commander’ title before. The Standard bearer came to stand beside Tân and he raised the pole of the huge flag up before taking hold of the cup on Loki’s belt, whereupon he placed the end of the pole into it and wrapped a thick leather strap around it before securing it to the belt. He looked at Loki expectantly, “Your Highness? If you could take hold of the handle?” Loki looked to where he indicated on the Standard pole to see a curved handle fixed on one side. He took hold of it and was surprised to find that it was fairly easy to hold on to; it was not very heavy because the belt and shoulder straps easily distributed the weight and the handle was at just the right height to hold it in place in the ‘cup holder’ on his belt. The Standard bearer stood back and saluted him before moving away. In the meantime, Tân Golau had stood patiently and everyone had watched proudly.

 

“It is Woden’s Day,” Said Odin to the assembled Cadets, “and you are going to make the procession through the city to celebrate. Your Commander…” he indicated Loki, “will lead you at marching pace and when you arrive back here at the Palace there will be a feast!”

 

The All Father stepped back and Loki’s groom came forward again to take the lead rein. He showed Loki how to hold the pommel of his saddle firmly while steadying the Standard of the Cadets at the same time and as they set off, the huge rectangle of blue cloth caught in a breeze and billowed out over Loki’s shoulder. It was trimmed in gold fringing at the ends and a long loop of gold cord was decorated at the end with two impressive golden tassels. These things represented the comradeship of the troop, the life they would lead together and the tassels symbolised the emergence into and the departing from the known worlds which all beings had in common. The motto, _Hvis du vil ha fred – Forbered deg på krig_ was emblazoned in gold lettering and as Loki’s groom led Tân out into one of the Palace squares and to the gates which opened out onto one of the wide roads leading to the city centre, it was clear for all to see. It took ten minutes of fair-paced marching to reach the centre of Asgard and all of the Cadets were pleasantly surprised to find the streets thronged with Asgardians, who were clapping and cheering as they passed. Flowers were thrown onto the ground in front of Loki and everywhere the Prince looked, heads were bowed in acknowledgement, hands were brought to the breast in salute, and wide smiles were sent his way. The citizens were always happy about celebrations and official occasions, and to see the young Prince Loki, Commander of the Ninth Cadets, leading his troops was a treat indeed. He sat proud and tall in his saddle and held the Standard securely as a symbol of what they were all about. By the time they were heading back for the Palace, his young heart was light and he had never felt so much a part of one with his fellow Cadets as he did having led them in the procession for Woden’s Day.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Odin and Frigga stood quietly in the sleeping area of the Royal nursery and watched the sleeping Princes, who were all bundled into one bed tonight, absolutely exhausted after the day’s exciting events. Frigga rested her head on Odin’s shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her waist lovingly.

 

“I think it did the trick.” She sighed, and Odin squeezed her gently.

“I do believe it did.” he agreed.

 

And in his sleep, Loki’s mind processed the new information about his true station in the Cadets with dreams of battles and feasts and adventures in the wild… always in the lead, always first to attack, always the first to defend. Never eating until all of his soldiers had taken theirs first and never leaving anyone behind when out on exercise.

 

He was their King in his dreams, but first and foremost he was their protector.

**Author's Note:**

> The motto translates as:
> 
> If You Want Peace, Prepare For War.
> 
> I am not sure how it goes in real life, but it makes sense to me that the Monarchy will be the primary targets in any battles fought in the manner of the Norse Gods. Cut off the head and the army will die. So it made sense to me also that the Royals would be treated in a worse manner during their training to try to harden them to the possibility that they would be the ones who would be tortured, starved or even killed by an invading enemy.
> 
> It doesn't mean my four year old Loki has to like it though, so I thought I would show him that there are certain privileges to his rank too.
> 
> Thank you for continuing to read!


End file.
